April 13, 2010

Box Score

Fairfax, Va. - he George Mason baseball team played from behind for most of the game on Tuesday but with two runs in the seventh, the Patriots were able to take a late lead and hold on to complete a season sweep of Longwood, beating the Lancers 5-4. Mason had won the earlier meeting in Farmville, 17-5. The Patriots are now 19-11 on the season while Longwood is 17-14.

Dan Palumbo was 3 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored while Chris Cook and Brig Tison each had two hits. Mason got six innings out of its bullpen and the relievers allowed just four hits and one walk as the Patriots held Longwood scoreless after the third. The Lancers got three hits from Brant Jones and two hits apiece from Robbie Bailey, Phil Cerreto, Robby Newman and Scott Kimble.

In the top of the first, the Lancers strung three-straight two-out singles together but couldn't get a run on the board. The didn't have such trouble in the second as Newman led off with a single, went to second on a sacrifice bunt, went to third on a deep flyout to right and scored on a Bailey triple to right-center. Bailey came home to make it 2-0 on a Jones single.

Mason responded in the second with a double from Mark Hill and a single by Anthony Montefusco to put runners on the corners with no outs and Palumbo's bloop single made it 2-1. Josh Steinberg's fly out to center moved Montefusco to third and he scored on Nick Allen's sacrifice bunt. Palumbo came home on Cook's single to give Mason a 3-2 lead. Longwood retook the lead in the third, though, as Cerreto led off the inning with a game-tying homer and with two outs, Newman hit a solo homer to make it 4-3.

Longwood held the lead until the bottom of the seventh when Cook, Jeremy Haas and Tison hit three straight singles to load the bases. Ryan Soares, who leads the nation in sacrifice flies, delivered his 10th of the season to make it 4-4. A double steal advanced the runners to second and third and that proved critical when Mark Hill hit a fly ball to center, bringing home Haas with the go-ahead run. Montefusco pitched the final two innings to pick up his third save while Jack Zeltner got the win, his first of the season.

The Patriots will return to action on Wednesday when they play at Coppin State at 3 p.m.